Thaddeus E. Swanson

Thad Swanson joined the Nilles Law Firm in 2016 and is a shareholder in the firm’s transactional group. Thad began his legal career in Williston, North Dakota, serving as judicial law clerk to the six judges of North Dakota’s Northwest Judicial District. Thad provides legal advice to his clients in the areas of Business Law, Estate Planning, Trust Administration and Probate, and Real Estate Law. Some of Thad’s legal services include business formation, drafting and reviewing contracts, corporate governance, shareholder buy-sell agreements, business succession planning, commercial and residential real property sales and leases, drafting wills and trusts, drafting powers of attorney, guardianships / conservatorships, and probate.

Thad was born in Seoul, South Korea and raised in Long Prairie, Minnesota. His hobbies include golf, hockey, and snowboarding. Thad is a member of several local organizations, including the Red River Valley Estate Planning Council and the Downtown Fargo Rotary Club.

EDUCATION

  • University of North Dakota School of Law (J.D. 2015)
  • North Dakota State University (B.S. 2011)
  • MSCTC – Fergus Falls, (A.A. 2009)

 

BAR ADMISSIONS

  • North Dakota
  • Minnesota

COMMUNITY & PROFESSIONAL INVOLVEMENT

 
  • Red River Valley Estate Planning Council
  • F5 Project Board of Directors (2021 - 2022)
  • Downtown Fargo Rotary Club
  • FM Rotary Foundation Board (Secretary) (2020 - 2022)
  • FMWF Young Professionals Network (Member-at-Large) (2020 - 2022)
  • State Bar Association of North Dakota
  • Minnesota State Bar Association
  • North Dakota Law Review
  • Order of the Barristers

 

EXPERIENCE & HONORS

 Awards

  • Super Lawyers Rising Star (2022)
  • FMWF Young Professionals Network "One to Watch" (Dec. 2018)
  • North Dakota Bar Foundation Best Note Award (2015)

Publications

  • North Dakota's New Trust Decanting Statute, The Gavel, Vol. 66, No. 1 (Winter 2019)

North Dakota Supreme Court Cases

  • Flaten v. Couture, 2018 ND 136, 912 N.W.2d 330 (argued)
  • Thompson v. Lithia ND Acquisition Corp. #1, 2017 ND 136, 896 N.W.2d 230 (on brief)